To prohibit the Secretary of Energy from finalizing a proposed rule related to consumer conventional cooking products, and for other purposes.

I 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3818 To prohibit the Secretary of Energy from finalizing a proposed rule related to consumer conventional cooking products, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE 5, 2023 Mr. NEWHOUSE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To prohibit the Secretary of Energy from finalizing a pro- posed rule related to consumer conventional cooking products, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 3 Congress finds the following: 4 (1) There has been increasing momentum at 5 the local, State, and Federal level across the United 6 States to disincentivize and forbid the use of natural 7 gas stoves thereby curbing consumer choice, crip- 8 pling manufacturers, and increasing energy prices. 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:25 Jun 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3818.IH H3818 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 3818 IH (2) On February 1, 2023, the Department of 1 Energy initiated a Supplemental Notice of Proposed 2 Rulemaking, and published a Technical Support 3 Document, which would establish maximum energy 4 consumption standards annually for gas stove tops 5 thereby barring manufacturers from selling gas 6 stoves which consume over 1,204 British thermal 7 units annually. 8 (3) In the Supplemental Notice of Proposed 9 Rulemaking and the Technical Support Document, 10 the Department of Energy estimated only four per- 11 cent of gas stove tops on the market met the pro- 12 posed maximum rate of 1,204 British thermal units 13 annually which would exclude 96 percent of gas 14 stoves. 15 (4) Shortly thereafter, on March 7, 2023, the 16 Consumer Product Safety Commission published a 17 notice to request information on chronic health haz- 18 ards associated with gas stove ranges. 19 (5) On March 20, 2023, in response to these 20 ongoing efforts to ban the purchase and usage of 21 natural gas stoves, 75 Members of Congress joined 22 together and sent a letter to Secretary Granholm at 23 the Department of Energy expressing significant 24 concerns with the Department of Energy’s proposed 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:25 Jun 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3818.IH H3818 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 3818 IH rule and expressing opposition to the finalization of 1 the proposed rule. 2 (6) In early May 2023, New York approved a 3 fiscal year 2024 State budget prohibiting the use of 4 propane heating, furnaces, and natural gas stoves in 5 residential buildings and requiring the use of all 6 electric heating and cooking appliances in buildings 7 smaller than seven stories by 2026 and for larger 8 buildings by 2029. 9 (7) On May 8, 2023, 11 city attorneys general 10 from States such as Delaware, Maryland, Massachu- 11 setts, Minnesota, New York, Rhode Island, Oregon, 12 Vermont, the District of Columbia, and Washington 13 submitted a letter to the Consumer Product Safety 14 Commission in support of the commission’s March 7, 15 2023, request for information on gas stoves and re- 16 questing compulsory regulations on gas stove ven- 17 tilation standards. 18 (8) On May 24, 2023, the House Committee on 19 Oversight and Accountability held a Subcommittee 20 on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory 21 Affairs hearing entitled ‘‘Consumer Choice on the 22 Backburner: Examining the Biden Administration’s 23 Regulatory Assault on Americans’ Gas Stoves’’ with 24 industry experts to discuss the Department of Ener- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:25 Jun 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3818.IH H3818 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 3818 IH gy’s proposed rulemaking and the negative impact 1 the proposed rules would have if finalized. 2 (9) Natural gas is a safe, clean, and reliable en- 3 ergy source which is an vital component of an all- 4 of-the-above strategic approach to energy develop- 5 ment helping to ensure American energy security 6 and independence. 7 SEC. 2. PROPOSED RULE ON ENERGY CONSERVATION 8 STANDARDS FOR CONSUMER CONVENTIONAL 9 COOKING PRODUCTS. 10 The Secretary of Energy may not finalize, implement, 11 administer, or enforce the proposed rule titled ‘‘Energy 12 Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards 13 for Consumer Conventional Cooking Products; Supple- 14 mental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and announcement 15 of public meeting’’ (88 Fed. Reg. 6818; published Feb- 16 ruary 1, 2023) with respect to energy conservation stand- 17 ards for gas kitchen ranges and ovens, or any substantially 18 similar rule, including any rule that would directly or indi- 19 rectly limit consumer access to gas kitchen ranges or 20 ovens. 21 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:25 Jun 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H3818.IH H3818 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS